Sword of the Berserk

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Publisher: Eidos
Developer: Yukes
U.S. Release Date: Mar. 15, 2000

Sword of the Berserk is not a deep game. It isn't a game with experience points or levels, or non-linear exploration, or multiplayer. It *is* a game where you control an angry man as he swings a ridiculously large sword to kill swaths of man and monsters. SotB is a beat-em-up released exclusively for the Dreamcast in 2000. Developed by Yukes, it's based on the long-running manga series "Berserk" by Kentaro Miura.

SotB could be considered a non-canon additional chapter of the Berserk story, as it takes place between chapters of the manga. This being the case, SotB isn't really a stand-alone story. It is necessary to have some knowledge of the plot of Berserk to understand what's happening in the game, as characters and concepts from the manga appear in the game without an introduction to explain them to the player. SotB appears to be designed to be bonus material for fans of the series, as opposed to an primer for newcomers. Due to this, I've added some short explanations of my own in the videos to try clarify the backstory of Berserk for those who may not have been exposed to it before.

Like the manga, the game follows the journey of a huge sword and the man who carries it. This man swings the sword to kill many things. That's the gameplay of SotB in a nutshell. It won't take you long to decide if this is a game that you'd enjoy, as SotB lays all its cards on the table very quickly. You start out with all of the weapons and abilities that you'll have for the entire game, and fighting the rush of enemies at the beginning is pretty much the same as at the end. While the game is 3D, it seems to be a callback to the 2D arcade brawlers popular during the '90s. However, there is one big difference between SotB and those brawlers, and that's the surprising amount of lengthy cutscenes the game contains. These story segments were very ambitious for their time, as well as a bit risky, as they go on for so long that the player may become anxious to get back to the gameplay.

While considered non-canon, the story of SotB may be of interest to fans of the series, as it was written by Miura himself. The music was created by Susumu Hirasawa, the man who made the soundtrack for the Berserk anime series.

External Links

SotB (Wikipedia)

Berserk Offical Site (Japanese)